August 12, 2024
Linda Blaser
Bob Knuth nominated for Chicago theater Jeff Award for second year
For the second year in a row, Director of Theater Bob Knuth has been nominated for a 2023–24 Equity Jeff Awards nomination—Chicago’s highest theater honor—for set design on his work outside the College.
This year, Knuth was nominated for his memorable set design of the Mel Brooks musical comedy, Young Frankenstein, at Mercury Theater Chicago, which ran October 13 through December 31, 2023.
In his review of Young Frankenstein for “Around the Town Chicago,” theater critic Alan Bresloff applauded the production for staging a “big brassy musical” on a “fairly small stage” at the Mercury. Bresloff credited Knuth’s set for using “every square inch of the stage to perfection, including the turning bookcase,” he noted in his review.
Young Frankenstein “was a very fun show to design,” Knuth said. “I’m happy it was the show that I took my two stagecraft classes to see last year.”
Photo by Liz Lauren, courtesy of Bob Knuth
In addition to his role as Director of Theater, Knuth teaches stagecraft and serves as resident designer and technical director at the College.
For more than 50 years, the Jeff Awards—considered Chicago’s version of Broadway’s Tony Awards—have celebrated the vitality of Chicago area theater. Annually, the Jeff Awards evaluates over 250 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies highlighting artistic and technical excellence over the past season. The 2024 Equity Awards will be announced at a gala on September 30, 2024.
The 2023-2024 Equity Jeff Awards feature 193 nominees across 34 categories of excellence in theater production among shows from 36 producing entities that ran from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.